John Farkonas, Austin Coil & Pat Minick
An ordinary garage on an ordinary alley,on the southwest side Chicago was the unlikely home most successful match raced funny car of all time. Originally superstock racers, mechanical engineer John Farkonas and his driver Chicago area policeman Pat Minick were racing and altered wheelbase ’65 Plymouth with fellow Mopar racer and line mechanic Austin Coil joinied them to build a tube chassied, fiber glass bodied ’67 Barracuda, a car many consider the first, modern supercharged funny car. The unknown team called their car the “Chi-Town Hustler” and towed it to the York US 30 Funny Car Nationals where they set low ET of the meet and a new strip record. The combination of Farkonas’ engineering knowledge applied to chassis and body, Coils development of the high compression “big boost” fuel motor, and Minick’s prowess as both driver and promoter soon built a reputation. With nearly thirty drag strips within an eight-hour drive, the team could race as frequently as they wanted and still be home in time for work. Early in 1969, the old Barracuda was retired and replaced with a slick new Charger. In August at a marginal 1/8-mile strip in Springfield, Illinois, Coil theorized that softening of the slicks by spinning them through water might improve traction. Minick broke the tires loose and felt so good that he had them all away through the lights; nearly causing a spectator riot. The patented Hustler long, smoky burnout was born. The Charger clinched the UDRA and IHRA championships and dazzled the West Coast and its first appearance. In 1971, Minick left the driver seat, but remained active in the partnership as did Farkonas who had semi-retired. A succession of Hustlers and drivers including Claire Sanders and Ron Colson continued the tradition through the 70s. After 15 years on the match raced circuit, the Chi-Town Hustler, with Frank Hawlwyt at the wheel, won NHRA Winston Funny Car Championship in 1982 and 1983. In 1984 Hustler was retired and Austin coil joined John Force guiding him to several NHRA Funny Car Championship titles.